Anna Daroy, 61, of Abbots Morton, Worcestershire, who led the prestigious business lobby group in 2019, secured two £50,000 loans for her management consultancy, Globepoint Associates, when the rules permitted only one per business. An Insolvency Service investigation found that Globepoint Associates received a total of £100,000 from two separate banks within five days in May 2020.

The company, for which Ms Daroy was the sole director, entered liquidation in March 2023 with both government-backed loans outstanding.

Kevin Read, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: “Anna Daroy abused the Bounce Back Loan Scheme by obtaining two loans when businesses were entitled to just one. When Daroy realised that her company had received double the amount of money it was allowed, she should have repaid one of the loans.

“Bounce Back Loans were designed to provide vital support to struggling businesses during the pandemic, not to be exploited by those who did not follow the terms of the scheme.

“As someone with such extensive experience in senior business leadership roles, Daroy should have known better than to break the rules.

“Director disqualifications protect the public from people who have demonstrated unfit conduct, and we will continue to investigate and take action against those who breach their duties.”

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade accepted a disqualification undertaking from Ms Daroy, and her ban started on Wednesday 10 September.

It prevents her from being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.

Ms Daroy, who has held leadership positions at both The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management and British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy since the applications, is now banned as a director until September 2036.

The Bounce Back Loan Scheme provided £46.6 billion in emergency funds during the pandemic, but has been subject to widespread abuse, with the taxpayer expected to cover the cost of more than one in five loans by value.